Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-10-08
For THE HERALD.
SAVE OUR BRIDGE.

To the Honorable County Court of Berke-
ley County,
From the general community of Ope-
Quon District, w. Va, as people and a
body, wish to know from the Honorable
Court, why it is that the Court. or the
President thereof, have taken it upon
themselves to dispose of No. bridge
advertised by them to be sold, over the
Opequon at Sprinkle's Ford. You left
the whole, it would seem. to the Presi-
dent to do as he sees fit. You as Court
have never viewed the bridge; you have
never appointed viewers. If you did,
they never visited it. Hence, you see
there could be no report from any COM
mittee to your Honorable Body. Then
how could you sell it before you con-
demned it I? How can you condemn it
when you have not seen it. You have
been informed that the bridge needed a
little fixing, though your Honorable Body
has never appointed anyone to fix or re-
pair this bridge. We understand you
have received from some individual that
has more brains than Judgment, the idea
that it should be sold and put into hog
pens. The f1imsy idea. What does Ope-
quon District want with bridge 16 feet
in width, over 300 feet in length, from IL
to 16 feet from bottom to top, with all
the up and down pieces, in connection
with near 5000 feet of flooring, near two
tons of bolts and iron. This tremendous
structure that spans the Opequon over 90
feet at the cost of over $500, to tear down
and put into hog pens; we people of
Opequon District feel ashamed. 1t will
cost at least $1,000 to tear that tremendu-
GUS structure out of there. 1t is not what
Opequon District wants; bridges are
what we need. Bridges are what we will
try and keep. There is not bridge along
the whole line of the Opequon but what
IS needed every hour in the day by
some traveller of the road. Those bridges
enhance the value of our community.
They enhance the value of our lands.
They also assist us in crossing those rapid
streams at any period or season of the
year. You as members of the Court,
elected by the people to public trust, and
cannot take no better care of the public 8
interest, you whould better vacate your
office. when this bridge has been stand
ing and in use for 10 or II years, without
any repair at all, and now as Court do
not feel willing to appropriate the small
sum of money to fix the splitting of the
center post on one side of the said bridge,
that at the time would not have cost $25.
But through your neglect it will now
cost about S75. Back Greek has cost
thousands of dollars, one on the other
side of Hedgesville the same, one at
Riley Ford that cost three to four thou
sand, one at the month of the Opequon
that cost $270O, one at Schoppert's Ford
cost $1,000 we have one at Sprinkle's
Ford costing the County the small sum
of $500. The difference on this of $1,000
was a a donation. We are likely to need
it yet for some time according to nature,
and as we helped to pay for these high
priced bridges, we would ask you to help
keep the low priced ones in order. We
consider it to be the best of economy to
keep them all in good order. And in due
time the above truthful words are worthy
of careful thought by all intelligent
farmers and travellers of the road.
p. OF FL.
For the general community of Opequon
District